Rock ‘n’ roll will reign supreme tonight at Headliners Music Hall as a few of Louisville’s best straight rock bands take the venue over. And when I say straight rock ‘n’ roll I mean straight rock ‘n’ roll. No effects, no sound machines or synthesizers, and no vocal processors. Old school. These bands don't have much to hide in their song crafting nor do they try.

Opening the night will be Vice Tricks which features ex-Dead City Reject punk-rocker Jeremy King on vocals/guitar and a pretty little upright bass player who goes by the name of Verity Vice. Oh, how tempting. Musically, that is.

Another ex-Dead City Reject reject, Bobby O - who made a name for himself as Magnetic Flux’s front man - leads The Zoo Kings on both vocals and guitar. When The Zoo Kings first debuted a couple years ago, it featured another ex-Magnetic Flux member and former Billy Ray Cyrus bassist Dave Moody, along with former Heaven Hill drummer Steven O’Reilly, as the original lineup. And that was one solid trio to say the least. Having not seen the current Zoo Kings lineup, I can at least attest that Bobby O is one picky musician, so I’m anticipating the current version of the band will maintain the status quo the original lineup established. Otherwise Bobby O would scrap the project. We shall see.

Headlining and closing out the evening will be The Broken Spurs, a band that quickly rose to prominence after landing an opening gig for their long-time favorite band AC/DC at Freedom Hall last summer. Not long after Louisville’s SonaBLAST! Records added them to their roster of artists, and they have since released their debut album Natural Disaster.

Bringing a Mick-Jagger-is-singing-for-AC/DC style of sound to their music - to put it on relative perspective - The Broken Spurs are extremely pleasing to both the eyes and ears of "true" fans of the rock ‘n’ roll genre. They don’t disguise their sound or wash out their musicianship with a bunch sound altering electronic devices. It is what it is.

So, it really came as no surprise when a band like AC/DC would call upon these young Louisville-lads to warm them up in one of the biggest rock ‘n’ roll shows the city has known in the last few years.

You’ll still get the same big stage performance they delivered in Freedom Hall even thought they’ll be playing the more intimate setting of Headliners. They know no other way to perform once their instruments are in hand.

Don’t bother dealing with the chaotic effects of trying to get into the Kentucky State Fair tonight for the opening weekend just to rip yourself off to see 1985‘s premiere British rock ‘n’ roll band. Nah, forget that. Def Leppard doesn’t really need anymore of your money. Instead, save that 40-50 bucks you’d spend on a single ticket and go drink the savings in cheaper beers to a few of Kentucky’s top rock ‘n‘ rollers. That is if you really want to support something coming out of the bluegrass state.

** Jason Ashcraft is a freelance music writer who focuses on Kentucky's original music scene. Visit his blog at LouisvilleScuttlebutt.com or you scan this QR code on your smart phone to view the mobile site:

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Jason is a life-long Louisville native who grew up in the Highlands, and now resides in an undisclosed fortified location somewhere in Louisville. He's followed Louisville's rock music scene for almost 10 years, first as a concert promoter, then an artist manager, and now a music critic and reviewer. He's one crazy Jarhead who'll literally publish anything his mind conceives on impulse, so don't always expect him to follow the traditional laws of journalism. He has intent of reviving Hunter S. Thompson's “gonzo journalism” if only his editors will allow it...which they don't usually. Head over to LouisvilleScuttlebutt.com for more published rhetoric.